From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov
Transcript for: Watchdog Report: Global Positioning System (GPS)
Modernization Efforts
Audio interview by GAO staff with Cristina Chaplain, Director,
Acquisition and Sourcing Management
Associated Report Number: GAO-10-636, Global Positioning System:
Challenges in Sustaining and Upgrading Capabilities Persist
Released on: September 20, 2010
[ Narrator: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news and
information from the Government Accountability Office. It's September
20, 2010. In 1973, the U.S. Air Force began developing the Global
Positioning System, or GPS, which now provides location, navigation, and
timing information to users worldwide. The Air Force is currently in the
process of bringing GPS technology into the 21st century. A group led by
Cristina Chaplain, a Director in GAO's Acquisition and Sourcing
Management Team, recently examined the Air Force's GPS modernization
project. GAO's Scott Golden sat down with Cristina to learn more.
[ Scott Golden: ] What are the responsibilities of the Air Force in
modernizing the Global Positioning System, GPS?
[ Cristina Chaplain: ] The Air Force is responsible for developing the
satellites, launching the satellites, maintaining the GPS constellation,
and procuring some user equipment for the military services.
[ Scott Golden: ] What challenges does the Air Force face in meeting
their responsibilities?
[ Cristina Chaplain: ] Right now the Air Force is basically racing
against time. They want to put in brand-new satellites before old ones
die out, and in time to maintain the continuity of service that we've
all come to expect from GPS. The current program, for example, is 3
years behind schedule, so that puts additional time pressure on the Air
Force. We've noted that they have been following good practices in
meeting their time goals, but there are still a lot of challenges ahead
for them in developing new technologies, fabricating the satellites, and
getting them out on time.
[ Scott Golden: ] GAO has in the past evaluated the state of GPS. How do
GAO's findings this year differ from those in last year's report on GPS?
[ Cristina Chaplain: ] In terms of the development of the satellite
itself, last year we reported that the Air Force structured the new GPS
program to prevent mistakes made on the previous program, but that the
schedule was optimistic. This year we found that the new program is
still on track, it's meeting its goals, it is still adopting best
practices, but we do still have concerns about the schedule. In terms of
the availability of the GPS constellation, last year we reported that
acquisition delays could have an impact on availability both in the near
term and the far term. This year we're reporting that the availability
of the GPS constellation has improved, but in the longer term a delay in
the launch of satellites could still reduce the size of the
constellation to fewer than 24 operational satellites. This is the
number that the U.S. government commits to, and going below it means
that it might not meet the needs of some high-end users.
[ Scott Golden: ] I know you've examined the GPS interagency
requirements process. Can you talk about that process and what it
entails?
[ Cristina Chaplain: ] Government agencies, if they want to use GPS for
various purposes, they need to submit their requirements through an
interagency process. They go through an interagency forum, and once that
forum decides this is truly a GPS requirement, it gets submitted to the
Department of Defense and it goes through their requirements process.
[ Scott Golden: ] Why is it so important to prevent an interruption to
GPS service and is there expected to be any immediate impact on
consumers who use GPS on their phones or in their cars?
[ Cristina Chaplain: ] We don't expect any immediate impact on
consumers. What may seem like an unnoticeable blip to consumers with GPS
in their cars could have more significant implications onto
high-precision users, and by this I'm talking about the military and
other high-end users that need the extreme measures of accuracy that GPS
can provide. But for your typical consumer, I don't think there is a
need to worry about GPS.
[ Scott Golden: ] What are the recommendations GAO is making to make
sure the Air Force is successful in its update of GPS?
[ Cristina Chaplain: ] We're making very nearly the same recommendations
we made last year. We primarily want the Department of Defense as a
whole to exert stronger leadership over the GPS program. Nearly every
military service has a stake in it; there's different components of the
program in terms of ground systems, satellite systems, and user
equipment, and we just believe there needs to be stronger leadership
from the top to make sure all the elements of GPS progress in alignment.
Another recommendation that we have this year that is new is to
strengthen guidance for this interagency requirements process. A lot of
agencies we talked to found it somewhat confusing; they had different
interpretations about what different aspects of the process meant, so
there's a lot that can be done to just bring clarity to the process if
some good guidance was issued. This is not a time to panic over GPS at
all, but rather a time to be concerned and to make sure we have the
right management attentions and resources on satellite development.
[ Background Music ]
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sure to tune in to the next edition of GAO's Watchdog Report for more
from the congressional watchdog, the Government Accountability Office.